Details the components of a public school safety plan and how to develop a crisis response plan with emergency responders. The importance of crisis response team members knowing their roles and being held accountable are stressed. (GR)

In the second article in a series on the implications of September 11 to colleges and universities, executives at the Society for College and University Planning outline an integrated approach to preparing for disasters. (EV)

Addresses school safety issues surrounding portable classrooms and the advantage of using portables for school districts on tight budgets. The history of portables and the options they provide school districts are highlighted. (GR)

Describes how one elementary school focused on school security in this age of increased school violence, discussing the worries that parents have about safety (which often overshadow concerns about academics) and explaining that even though youth violence has decreased overall, parents must feel secure in sending their children to school. (SM)

Discusses how door design and construction can add safety and security to educational facilities. Exit device variations, and electromagnetic locks and access control are explored. Also discussed are inexpensive ways to improve the safety and security profiles of a building using door hardware. (GR)

Presents 10 reasons not to use pesticides. (Contains 31 references.) (YDS)

Presents tips on how to make school emergency communication procedures more efficient and effective. Highlights use of simple codes, and offers advice on staff training and emergency drills. (GR)

Highlights the importance of using sprinkler systems in school residence halls to prevent fire fatalities. Understanding the risks involved, retrofitting schools to meet these risks, and realizing the need to extend safety education to off-campus housing are discussed. (GR)

Offers superintendents several suggestions for helping building-level administrators to cope with the physical and psychological stress they often experience following a violent incident in their schools. (PKP)

Accepting that few lists are comprehensive, but acknowledging that they still have value, here then are seven important factors that contribute to a healthy school climate: (1) Models: Adults are teachers in more ways than one, and the way that has the greater impact is less what they say than what they do; (2) Consistency: The school staff must…

Administrators and students at private schools tend to see their schools as safer than public schools. Spurred in part by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, many private schools have joined the national push to revamp campus safety plans. Kenneth S. Trump, the president of the Cleveland-based National School Safety and Security Services,…

March 2005 was the deadliest month for U.S. school shootings since the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in Colorado. This time, the tragedy struck at a Minnesota high school when a teenager shot and killed nine people, including a security guard, a teacher and five students, before taking his own life--once again escalating American concerns…

Through dress codes, schools establish rules governing student appearance. This study examined stated rationales for dress and appearance codes in secondary school handbooks; 182 handbooks were received. Of 150 handbooks containing a rationale, 117 related dress and appearance regulations to students' right to a non-disruptive educational…

A good initial step in bolstering school safety is to seek out the help of an ID system. As a method of access control, cards are superior to keys because if they are lost they can be deactivated immediately and replaced promptly. As technology progresses, schools have been able to place more functions onto a card, and many campuses are using…

School shootings and terrorist attacks have brought the topic of security to the forefront of the national education agenda. Administrators are asking the question of what they can do to make education institutions safer and if they have done all that they can. For most institutions, providing a safe environment in which students can learn…